This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from the prior Japanese Patent Application No. 2001-010284 filed Jan. 18, 2001, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
The present invention relates to a writing tool with an ink reservoir such as a writing brush or a ballpoint pen, etc., and more particularly to a writing tool in which ink in the ink reservoir is supplied to the nib of the tool.
In some writing brushes, an ink reservoir is defined in the trunk so that ink is supplied to the nib through the ink supply passage. In these writing brushes, the nib is covered with a cap when not used so that ink in the nib will not be hardened.
However, even if the nib is covered with a cap, the nib may dry up if the writing brush is not used for a long time. Further, if the writing brush is not used for a long time, the ink supply passage may clog up even if the nib is kept moist. Accordingly, ink does not easily come out and hence ease of writing cannot be obtained.
Such a phenomenon often occurs when a writing brush is not used for a long time, even if the cap is placed on the brush. This may cause a user to think that most available writing brushes cannot be kept for a long time.
The inventor of the present invention has paid attention to this phenomenon, reviewed its cause and found that the phenomenon occurs for the following reason: Ink to be used includes ink containing a dyestuff and ink containing an insoluble coloring pigment. When using, in particular, ink containing an insoluble coloring pigment, if a writing brush is not used for a long time, pigment particles contained in the ink may easily deposit and coagulate between the strands of the brush or the narrow ink supply passage leading to the strands. It was found that such agglomerated powder would clog the ink supply passage or interrupt the capillary action of the strands, which makes it difficult for ink to come out and hence degrades ease of writing.
Moreover, since the pigment actually used contains not only uniform particles of a small diameter but also particles of larger diameters, it will easily agglutinate. In addition, ink containing a high-density pigment is now used very frequently, which increases the possibility of clogging.
Also in the case of using ink containing a dyestuff, when a writing brush is not used for a long time, the dyestuff, for example, may crystallize, thereby interrupting the supply of ink and hence degrading the writing performance of the pen.
It is the object of the present invention to provide a writing tool capable of easily eliminating the clogging of ink to thereby restore and maintain ease of writing.
A writing tool according to the present invention comprising:
a writing tool body;
a nib attached to a front end of the writing tool body;
an ink reservoir formed in the writing tool body and containing ink;
an ink supply passage formed in the writing tool body and configured to supply ink contained in the ink reservoir to the nib;
a wire member movably provided in the ink supply passage;
a spring member provided in the writing tool body and supporting the wire member such that the wire member can move; and
a movable body movably provided in the writing tool body, the movable body moving the wire member while the writing tool body is being moved.
The present invention can provide a writing tool capable of easily eliminating the clogging of ink, thereby restoring and maintaining ease of writing.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out hereinafter.